Grace to light the hearts
by The Cinder Crown
Summary: When Cassie hears of Jacob's death, she is determined to attened the funeral and offer her godmother support. However, she didn't know that bringing along her best friend, Grace, might have been the key to light both Sam and Jack's hearts and push them in the right direction. My version of what happens after 'Threads' in Season Eight. SamJack, Daniel, Teal'c, Cassie, Hammond, OC
1. Prologue

**Hello everyone!**

 **I've been playing with the idea of finally starting my very first Stargate SG1 story!**

 **And even though there are already so many wonderful stories out there, this will be my own take on as to what happened after Season 8 - well, or at least what we all hope will have happened :)**

 **So obviously, this will be SamJack; if you don't like the pairing, you have now the chance to turn around.**

 **For all of you as obsessed with the two of them as I am: Welcome and thanks for checking out the story! (Reviews are greatly appreciated!)**

 **English isn't my first language, so I apologise for any spelling or grammar mistakes in advance! (Also, I try my best not to screw up too much with the military talk/expressions...)**

 **Anyway, here we go: I hope you'll enjoy this, and please tell me what you think!**

 **All the best,**

 **Lexi**

* * *

 **Grace to light the hearts - Prologue  
**

* * *

 **Washington DC || Nineteen years ago**

The party was already in full swing by the time the twenty-year-old blonde arrived at the Washington "Palace" hotel.

Getting out of the cab as graceful as possibly was a hell of a lot more difficult than she had first anticipated; but of course, there was a difference between moving around in her usual set of BDU's and the elegant ball gown she had chosen for tonight.

After all, receiving an invitation to attend the annual _"Air force Military Ball"_ was a great honor and only a few Cadets had been selected to represent the Academy at this very special occasion.

Admittedly, ascending the marble staircase in 10cm high heels wasn't something the blonde young woman was used to do ether.

Halfway through, she decided to take matters into her own hands - literally. Lifting the fabric of her ocean blue dress proved to be one of the best ideas she had in a long time.

At least in her opinion; her friends would have only laughed at her had she uttered her thoughts out aloud; mostly because it was common knowledge that the blue-eyed beauty was a genius.

Though if anyone would mention it in her presence, she'd blush a bright crimson every time and tried her best to deny it.

She never considered herself to be so much smarter than everyone else, the blonde simply loved everything about physics - always had.

Even as a little girl she drove her parents up the walls, mostly because she snatched several electronic devices and reduced them into tiny little pieces… Preferably the toaster or the microwave.

Though over the years she had learned it the hard way that men usually didn't take it well whenever a woman outsmarted them.

Yes, being a woman in the military wasn't easy.

Nevertheless, the blonde held her head high, confirmed with a touch of her hand that her mask was still in place and covering her face, and entered the already crowded hall.

The sight that greeted her left her speechless for a moment. People were happily dancing, everyone was dressed in the most stunning clothes Sam had seen in a long time - woman dressed in floor length gowns in every imaginable color, men wearing form fitting and equally expensive looking suits with matching ties. The most intriguing part being that not a single person in the room was without a mask - and Sam could have sworn that at least a couple of people would have forgotten about it, since the decision to declare the whole thing as _"masquerade ball"_ had been announced rather late.

Still, she liked the idea - it gave the whole event a very mysterious and unmilitary flair.

...x.X.x...

Late at night, the blonde sat down on a high chair in front of the bar; completely exhausted.

One of her ex-boyfriends had shown up - uninvited and on top of that completely drunk - and it had taken the young woman all her energy to get him to leave without causing a scene in the hotel's ballroom.

In moments like these, she was so very grateful for her military training; after all, half shoveling, half carrying a large man who had at least twice her weight was already a difficult and indeed very unpleasant task - not to forget to mention the floor length gown that provided yet another difficulty.

She wasn't quite sure how much time had passed in the meantime, but when she had finally managed to put the drunk into a cab and re-entered the hotel only a few people had left and the party was still in full swing.

And now here she was, trying to get back in her earlier good mood, but naturally this was easier said than done.

And well, usually the blue eyed cadet was no woman to drown her sorrow in alcohol, but the recent encounter with her Ex, the constant fighting between her father and brother and the upcoming birthday of her deceased mother caused her to change her mind. Besides, she had been drunk before and judging by the way her roommate danced on the floor, the night would go longer than anticipated.

...x.X.x...

A couple of tequila shots later she got joined by another guest who sat down on the vacated seat next to her.

The blonde watched rather impressed as he only held up two fingers and the bartender immediately started to prepare a drink for him.

Unnoticeable, the young woman let her blue eyes wander over his body. The black suit he wore, accompanied by a white shirt underneath the jacket and a matching dark blue tie suited him perfectly - and most certainly left no room for speculation as to what his body looked like without clothes: one could clearly see that a damn well trained body underneath the fabrics.

It was probably the first time that night that she really wished that they were allowed to take off their masks; for she was indeed very eager to get a glimpse at the handsome man's face.

But naturally, apart from the short brown hair there was nothing else to be seen.

All of a sudden, the man slightly moved his head and the bartender put down a bottle of beer and a cocktail in front of him. He pushed the latter of the two towards the blonde.

For a moment, she only glanced at it suspiciously, but as if he had he had read her thoughts he swiftly added, "Tequila Sunrise. I saw you drinking shots earlier."

She chuckled a little. "Thanks," she answered amusedly and looked up.

' _Holy Hannah…'_ she then thought as she met his stunning chocolate brown eyes - the kind of eyes women were bound to get lost in if not handling the situation carefully.

Taking a sip from her drink, she smiled slightly. "You know, I would not have complained about a beer either."

Through the small hole in his black mask she could see his lips twitching. "I will remember that. Though ol' Moe here was eager to serve something a little more, well, colorful. Weren't you, Moe?"

The bartender just grinned and nodded.

The blonde's eyes twinkled. "His name is _Moe_?"

The brown haired man shrugged. "I s'pose not. Never bothered asking… But he's at this shindig every year. Plus, he never complained about the name."

A soft giggle escaped her as the bartender bowed to them.

"Why ' _Moe_ ', though?"

His mouth was twitching again, apparently he enjoyed their little conversation as much as she did.

"I'm a fan of the _Simpsons_. And it's easy to remember."

The blonde laughed, already feeling slightly tipsy.

"Well, he does look a bit familiar, I agree."

This said, the rest of the night turned out to be very amusing. They didn't talk very much - the blonde had the feeling that the handsome man usually wasn' the 'talky' kind of person. Though the beer seemed to contribute its part, making him more relaxed with each passing minute.

...x.X.x...

After some time, the blue-eyed woman let her glance wander over the dance floor again. Only a couple of people were still there, but that didn't surprise her since the ball was apparently drawing to a close.

Nor did the fact that her roommate from the Academy had already left without her. But luckily, a stay in one of the hotel rooms had been included in the invitation.

Which was a relief because by now, she felt the effects of her many drinks and exhaustion was slowly but steadily getting the better of her.

For a brief moment she wondered whether or not it was rude to leave a fellow soldier alone - especially after spending such a nice evening with him - but before she had the time to think of what to say, her companion got up from his chair and offered her his hand.

He then looked at her with determined but very kind chocolate brown eyes and insisted to accompany her to her room - which was probably a wise choice, considering that walking on her heels turned out to be even more challenging in a drunken state.

...x.X.x...

The next morning the blue eyed woman woke up with a blissful sigh.

She had never thought of herself to be the kind of bold woman inviting men into hotel rooms. But the way he had gently put one of his strong arms around her, carried her purse and jacket… Well, he was too attractive for his own good.

After he had made sure she was alright, he looked at her for one last time with his stunning brown eyes, and kissed her hand ever-so-gently before crossing the room and closing the door behind him.

She still wasn't really sure about what had been the final straw, but something had clicked in her head and she had opened the door to see where he had been going. To her own surprise, she had found him pacing right in front of her room; apparently having an inner discussion with himself.

When he had turned around, their eyes had met; surprise clearly written in both of them...

Now she reached out and saw that the used sheets from the bed's other side were neatly folded; the chocolate brown eyed man gone.

But it didn't surprise her to see him gone.

She obviously hadn't planned on spending the rest of the night with him in the first place, and she could tell that he had been hesitant about it, too…

 _She had placed her hand around his neck and she felt his arms slowly going around her waist._

 _"I am supposed to report to my CO in the morning," he had whispered into her ear, the air from his breath tickling on her skin._

 _"I'd still like you to stay…" the blond had replied and pressed her body closer against his._

 _Taking in a deep breath, he let his long fingers trace the outline of her collar-bone; his other hand gripping tightly around the fabric of her floor-length blue dress._

 _"You're drunk," he said in an attempt to find a reasonable excuse that this was not a good idea, but the sound of his voice didn't seem to be very convincing at all._

 _The blonde just smirked and shrugged. "So are you. But considering – "_

A smile crept upon her face as she re-traced her lips with her slim fingers; recalling the wonderful memory of how he had placed his own lips upon hers and softly, but eagerly kissed her.

Sitting up straight, the blue eyed woman removed the mask that was still covering the upper half of her face and looked around the room properly.

Scrambled sheets, shoes, the remains of her gown and panties had all been tossed around the room; careless as to where it would end up.

Admittedly, she was a little disappointed that she never saw his face properly; his mask had, too, covered half his face from his forehead to right under his nose.

Nevertheless, she had to get up. Moving the sheets and tightening it around her still naked body, she stretched her legs and made her way over to the bathroom when her eyes caught a glimpse of something black and shiny.

Right there, on the little nightstand on the other side of the queen-sized bed, she spotted the mask which the chocolate brown eyed man had worn. Carefully, she picked it up and found a little note attached to it.

 _'Thanks for a wonderful night.  
I hope our paths will cross again one day.'~ Always, J._

Her lips formed into a small smile and she clutched the mask along with the note closer to her chest.

' _Yes_ ,' she thought, the image of him flashing right before her eyes, ' _I hope I'll one day see this face of yours without a mask_.'

* * *

 **To be continued...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh my goodness, I just wanted to say thank you all for reading the story! And the many favs/follows I received so far!  
I've never had this many after posting the first chapter! *jumps happily up and down*  
**

 **Now I've never received so many reviews in such a short time either - so thank you all soooo much! *hugs for everyone***

 **\- Jo, dpdp, Dom77, Guest3, guestonline,DeniseM, vcm, :** Thank you all for your kind words! It makes me so very happy! **  
\- LoneWolfO'Neill:** I'm usually not really good with describing scenes, so thanks for your encouraging words! **  
\- Scifigrocerygal:** Ohh, I'm glad you like it so far! **  
\- Guest1:** I hope you like the next chapter, I tried to get it up here as quickly as possible :) **  
\- Guest2:** Well, I have written HP stories before, but yes, this is my first SG1 :) **  
\- Irelandfaith1118:** So happy you like it! That reminds me... I really need to have Jack having a conversation about fishing in the next chappies... **  
\- Camryne:** Yes, it is my first! And I'm so excited about it! So glad you like it! **  
\- FanFicForever:** I try my best to keep everything as much in Canon as possible :) So - without giving too much away - 'yes' to your first guess *smiles* **  
**

 **(I have the tendency to forget to answer my reviews when I get them, so decided to do it here)**

 **Anyway, here's the next little chapter! I hope you like it and I'm looking forward to your comments!**

 **A.N. Cover-All disclaimer** (which I forgot in the first chappie ooops): I wish I owned the charcters, sadly I don't. [Grace is mine, though :D] Some scenes are taken from the series! I don't make any money with my stories... just a fan-girl writing :)

* * *

 **Grace to light the hearts  
**

* * *

 **Air Force Academy Colorado || Cadet Wing || 22:05 PM**

"Cass, hurry up!"

"Calm down, G, I'm coming," Cassie Fraiser shouted through the open kitchen door to her best friend and roommate.

Scribbling down the last couple of numbers that hopefully completed the equation, she closed her science book, raced through the room and jumped on the empty space on the couch.

"About time you finish! Look, the new episode just started!"

Cassie rolled her eyes and snatched the bag of chips out of her honey-brown haired friend's hands.

"Seriously, some of us have to actually study, Grace," the 18-year-old said mockingly.

"I _do_ study!" Grace replied in an attempt to cover her amusement, but the way her bright, ocean blue eyes sparkled betrayed her.

Cass only laughed harder. "Oh, yeah, sure you do. Memorizing every single episode of the _Simpsons_ is a real achievement. Honestly, you're almost worse than Jack when it comes to that show."

Grace giggled, knowing how much Cassie adored her godfather. "I take that as a compliment, then. Besides, I really studied last night! I had some trouble with some of my Latin and French essays… Tell me, why again did I take two additional languages this term?"

The copper-haired young woman shrugged sympathetically. "Because - like it or not - you _are_ a genius. Besides, you'd be totally bored otherwise. I mean, becoming a doctor in the Military is _such_ an easy task, isn't it?"

Grace only 'hmm'ed in return - although chuckling slightly at Cassie's use of sarcasm - and pressed a key to increase the TV's volume.

Humming the show's title song, she tucked a strand of her long, honey brown coloured hair back behind her ear and smiled softly. It was a habit of hers.

Ever since Cassie got to know her, she noticed that Grace always played with either the little golden chain that was hanging around her neck (along with her Dog Tags) or with her big curls, that most of the time softly and neatly cascaded down her back in very elegant waves.

Sometimes, she did it completely subconsciously, when she thought about the one thing or the other, when she enjoyed a task or when something really worried her.

Nevertheless, despite having joined the military, neither woman had managed to cut her hair short, and as long as nobody said anything against it, they'd keep it that way.

In fact, Cassie would probably kill anyone who'd dare to mess with her tangled locks, which with their lovely copper colour had the tendency to bounce up and down and reflect darker colours in the sunlight.

"I'm so excited! Today they're about to -"

She was interrupted by the sudden ringing of the telephone and both of them cursed in unison.

Reluctantly, Grace moved in her ever-so-elegant way, pressed the mute key on the remote control and answered the phone.

"Grace Montrose, speaking. What can I… Oh, General! Good evening, Sir! What… yes, of course, Sir, hold on…"

The blue-eyed young woman turned around, the worry clearly written all over her slim, ivory coloured face. The way the light shone on her when she turned around caused her high cheekbones to stand out even more.

"Cass, it's for you. It's General O'Neill. He said it's urgent."

With her heart in her throat, Cassie took the phone; her small hands shaking.

"Hey Jack, it's me, Cassie. What's wrong…"

Grace watched as all the color drained from her best friend's cream coloured face.

"Grandpa Jacob…. But no… I though Selmak… This - this can't be…"

Cassie's hazel eyes started to fill with tears.

"How is Sam?... No, of course but… Please, Jack, I need to be there! - Fine… but she has… Alright, I'll ask her…Not gonna happen, I'll see you tomorrow. Bye Jack."

She hung up and stared at the phone in her hands; hazel eyes wide, blank and shocked.

Grace moved closer and put her slender arms around her now trembling friend's shoulders.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice gentle and nothing more but a whisper.

"My… My grandpa Jake - Sam's dad… He passed away a couple of hours ago," her usually strong and thunderous voice was barely more than a hoarse sound either.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry, Cass."

The copper haired Cadet sniffed and thankfully accepted the tissue that the slightly younger, but also 18-year-old Grace handed to her.

"The funeral will be held in a couple of days."

"I see. Here in the Springs?"

Cass nodded and wiped away the tears that rolled down her now ashen cheeks.

"Jack… He - he doesn't…. Well, he told me to ask you if…."

Grace, having heard about the very protective side of the chocolate-brown eyed General and knowing Cassie's habit of trying to deal with everything on her own, nodded knowingly.

"Yup, I'm coming with you."

"But -"

The honey-brunette held up her slender hand and the piercing look she gave her best friend left no room whatsoever for any sort of argumentation.

"We're on summer break, Cass. Plenty of time left to study, no worries. I won't let you go there on your own."

Cassie gave her a small, sad smile and laid her head down on Grace' shoulder, who in return stroked her back softly.

"Thanks, G."

"You're welcome, C. I know how hard this has to be for you and that's what friends are for, right?"

Cassie nodded and buried her rounded face deeper in the other woman's shoulder.

"Besides," Grace continued in a slightly relieved, but still worried voice and let her long fingers wander over the by now purple bruise on her left arm, "this gives me an excuse not to go home to my Uncle's place… I swear, his mood is getting worse and worse each and every time I see him..."

* * *

 **Stargate Centre || General's office || 23:14 PM**

Jack sighed as he hung up the phone for what felt like the hundredth of times. But at least, he had finally managed to reach every single one on his list.

"Jack, you're in here?" Daniel should and entered without even bothering to knock. "There you are. I've been looking for you all over the base…."

Chocolate brown eyes rolled.

"Yeah, I know. Shocking to actually see me sitting on my desk, hm?"

"Pretty much, yup."

"So… I see you found somethin' to wear. What happened to the flag? It suited you, Spacemonkey!"

Daniel blushed. "Not my fault that _they_ keep bringing me back naked…" he mumbled in an attempt to defend himself for appearing unclothed in the briefing room - again.

Jack just shrugged; this would have been the perfect opportunity to tease his friend, but considering what recently happened to Jacob caused him to reconsider. This wasn't the right time or place for jokes at the moment, and if he was honest with himself, he wasn't really in the mood for picking up on Daniel anyway. Concentrating was hard enough as it was, considering that the picture of a certain blonde-haired Colonel was constantly flashing before his eyes.

"Never mind," he replied instead and hit the 'print' key on his computer. "What can I do for you, Daniel?"

The archaeologist raised an eyebrow.

"Erm, well, you could stop doing whatever it is you're doing right now and look after Sam instead? How about that?"

The General sighed and tapped with his pen against the wooden fabric of his desk.

"I will. I just had to make a couple of phone calls…"

Daniel scratched the skin under his glasses. "Ah, I see. Cassie?"

"Amongst others, yes. Sam's brother Mark was the last. He'll arrive with his family around the same time Cassie will tomorrow. The only one left is the President and well, the Tok'ra."

"So…. _Sam_ , hm?" Daniel asked with the hint of a smile when he noticed the uncommon use of her first name.

" _Daniel,_ " Jack grunted in a warning tone. "Let it rest."

" _It_ , hm?"

Another sight. " _Daniel!"_

The archeologist held up his hands in a defensive gesture. "Alright, alright. I get it."

Jack faked a sweet smile. "Wonderful. Now that we - "

"I think we should have a team night."

"What?"

Daniel sighed and sat down on one of the empty chairs. "Well, not the usual one - though Teal'c will probably bring _Star Wars_ no matter what I say - just, well… Sam shouldn't be on her own tonight."

For a moment, Jack didn't say anything, only nodded slowly.

"You guys can sleep at my place, plenty of space and beer there," he said and closed the last file in front of him. "Take Carter and Teal'c with you, a key is hidden under the stone turtle on the front porch."

"Stone _turtle_?"

"A gift from Maybourne. _Don't ask,_ " he added upon seeing Daniel's smirk.

"Alright. What about you?"

Jack got up from his chair and sighed. "I've still got a couple of other thing to do. Comes with the job of being ' _the man',_ I guess. But I'll join you guys as soon as possible."

...x.X.x…

As soon as the Archaeologist was gone Jack shut the door behind him - and once he realized he irony of that action, he rolled his eyes and sat down on his chair again, staring at the bright red phone in front of him…

 _He was sitting on his desk - again - lost in thoughts when he heard a small knock at the door._

" _How's Colonel Carter's father?"_

 _He looked up and saw Kerry entering the office._

" _Doesn't look good."_

 _She sent him a sympathetic look._

" _Sorry to hear that…"_

 _Then she looked around awkwardly before she moved._

" _Closing the door…" Jack replied as he watched his girlfriend's actions with a raised eyebrow._

" _Yeah, deeply symbolic," Kerry replied, with the hint of a smile on her face. But the honesty that was written in her light brown eyes made it clear that the topic to follow was going to be serious._

" _Really?" It was more of a statement than a question._

 _Kerry shrugged._

" _I really like you," she paused and nodded as if talking to herself. "We're good together."_

 _Jack had a faint idea where this was going. He pushed his chair backwards and slowly got up - buying more time to ponder about what to say to the red-head._

" _Yes. We are."_

 _There it was, the lack of a reply._

 _He carelessly moved his hands in a shrug-like gesture and gave her a questioning look._

" _But."_

 _Kerry didn't hesitate._

" _You have… issues."_

 _The General inwardly wanted to groan, but then decided to simply close his eyes for a moment and giving an almost undetectable nod. 'She's a smart woman. It was only a matter of time…'_

" _That's okay, everyone does…" she assured him, trying to cover her sadness with a little too much enthusiasm. "There is just one in particular that I cannot love with - "_

 _Here Jack raised an eyebrow and she blushed furiously._

" _Live with," she corrected herself with a sigh. Then Kerry gestured towards the door. "I need to get out before I get too involved."_

 _This time Jack didn't answer._

" _We can still work together, can't we? I'd hate to have to ask for a re-assignment. And_ this _, is really important to me."_

 _There was still no question that was in demand of an answer._

" _And we agreed that this would never affect the job."_

" _We did," he replied, reluctantly and with a sad smile on his face._

 _If she was surprised at his lack of protest, Kerry didn't show it._

" _Good," she simply said._

 _Jack had the feeling that there was still something on the tip of her tongue since she opened her mouth, but then decided against it . The CIA Agent then gave him one last wondering look and head-shaking headed towards the door._

 _However, before she grabbed the handle, she turned around once again; a rather frustrated expression on her face._

" _You – There is just one thing I don't understand," she said irritated and fiercely at the same time, then put both her hands on her hips._

" _Just one?"_

 _She rolled her eyes at the typical use of sarcasm._

" _Is the Air Force the only thing that's keeping you two apart?"_

 _Jack blinked and tried to ignore his racing heart._

 _Kerry stepped forward again and looked at him with intense brown eyes._

" _Rules and regulations? Cause if it is then you're making a very big mistake."_

 _For a moment, he looked at her in a challenging way. The thought of denying everything and pretending to not to know what she was talking about had immediately crossed his mind, but then again, Kerry was a kind-hearted woman so he settled for plain and simple honesty._

" _And_ you _know what I should do?"_

 _There was not even the slightest pause._

" _Retire."_

" _Again?"_

 _Truth to be told, it was tempting, and it wasn't like he hadn't played with that idea before…_

 _Kerry shrugged and smirked._

" _Don't get me wrong, you're considered invaluable to the program by the Pentagon, but… the President_ has _appointed a civilian to run the SGC before…" she trailed off, turned around again and shrugged her shoulders again before she left. "Just a thought."_

In exactly the same way like he had a couple of hours ago, Jack now stared at the door through which the red-haired woman had left earlier.

Her words were still glued to his mind, but up until now he hadn't had the chance to probably take everything in.

First, he had spent a lot of time thinking about the phrase with the ' _civilian running the SGC'_ part, and it had taken him some time before it really hit him what Kerry had tried to tell him.

Finally, after some hesitation due to the already late hour, he finally picked up the red phone and used the speed-dial to the President's office; the people in the White House would want to be informed about Jacob's death after all.

Though while the phone was ringing, he couldn't help himself but think about the _one_ tiny, little, and seemingly unimportant word Kerry had mentioned… that might be able to get him what he had wanted all along: _'invaluable'_.

* * *

 **To be continued... :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh gosh, I'm really sorry for the late update, I wish I could write on a more regular basis, but well, you all probably know how things can be...  
Anyway, I'm so so very gratefull that you like the story! The follows/favs/reviews make me so happy!  
**

 **\- ASpecialKindOf:** Yes, well, you are right, my plan is to keep this going for several chapters :) I tend to write rather long multichaps for some reason :P **  
\- jag389:** You know, I actually kinda liked Kerry *shameonme* or well, I would have liked her if she didn't have the thing with Jack! And no, I don't think Jack will retire just yet ;) **  
\- Camryne:** Thanks so much #hugs **  
\- dpdp:** Thank you! Here's the next, more to come (hopefully) soon! **  
\- Guest2:** Glad to hear that! Thanks for the review! **  
\- Sevryna:** You're welcome! I hope you'll enjoy the next chappie as well! **  
\- Mishy-mo: thank you :D  
\- sLOVEnia: **Aww, so happy to hear that! I hope my future chapters will meet your expectations! (Btw, if you happen to be from Slovenia, then OMG! Your username is so creative! *_*) **  
\- vmc:** Thank you, I'm giving my best to write Grace with her own personality and I hope that she's liked despite being my OC :) **  
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\- Guera Mexicana:** Thank you :)

 **I hope I haven't forgotten anyone! In case, just, thanks to each and everyone of you!**

 **(And now on with the next chappie already! Hope you like it!)**

* * *

 **Grace to light the hearts**

* * *

 **Stargate Centre || Briefing room || 00:25 AM**

Daniel breathed heavily as he came to a stop in front of the staircase that led up to the briefing room.

Pushing his glasses back on his nose, he climbed the last remaining couple of stairs and sighed in relief as he spotted the familiar looking blonde hair that belonged to the woman he had been looking for for the last hour.

Of course, her lab had been the obvious choice, but after searching almost every single room at the base, the archaeologist mentally slapped himself for not thinking about coming here sooner.

However, the sight that now greeted him almost broke his heart.

Sam sat on top of the round table, her knees ben and tightly pressed against her body; both her arms wrapped around her legs.

Her usually vibrant blue eyes were watery, but naturally the goody-two-shoes soldier inside of her didn't allow the tears to fall from her eyes. Not here at work, not surrounded by other military men that might take it as a sign of weakness.

It was moments like these that Daniel cursed the military and its god-damn rules and regulations. Even though he had to admit that the people working at the SGC were different from the experiences he had made so far. They all knew what it was like to go through the 'gate, the risks that came with it and the sacrifices that had to be made along the way for the greater good.

He watched his friend for a moment and followed her forlorn gaze that was fixed upon the inactive stargate that was standing untouched behind the thick glass wall.

"What can I do for you, Daniel?"

Sam's unexpected voice slightly startled him; truth to be told he hadn't expected her to notice his presence.

"I've been looking for you," he eventually replied and sat down next to her on the table.

He had to admit that it felt somehow calming to look down into the gate room, though he couldn't explain why. Probably because of the many things that had happened over the years. In a way, he connected the gate with the friends he now had; the first time they went through it together, and all the dangers they had already faced.

"Actually, I've been searching the entire base for you," the archaeologist continued with a small chuckle, "didn't really expect to find you here."

Sam didn't look at him; she just continued staring in the distance.

"I – I want to believe that this was all just a bad dream. That if I just keep staring at the 'gate long enough, he'll step through again, telling me that everything's alright."

Daniel sighed. "Sam – "

She shook her head forcefully. "I know, Daniel. I know he won't be coming back. It's just…"

His friends struggled to find the right words. "Hard to accept?"

"Yes."

For a moment, neither of them said a word; both probably lost in their own memories about Jacob.

"You know, we thought about having a Team-night…" he archaeologist finally said, out of the blue.

He didn't really know what else to say to break the silence, but he noticed relieved that this statement caused her to turn her head ever-so-slightly; her eyes gleaming with a mixture between hope and surprise and a little bit of hesitation.

"A Team-night?"

Daniel shrugged. "Well, not the usual one, of course… I … we… just don't want you to be alone tonight, that's all."

The hint of a smile flashed over her face. "We?"

He blushed a bright crimson – playing matchmaker between his two best friends was even more difficult than he had first anticipated. At least without either of them noticing. "Well, Teal'c, me and well, Jack… though I also think that…"

"That's very sweet of you, Daniel, but…" Sam mumbled and dropped her gaze to something she was holding in her hands.

Taking a closer look, the archaeologist noticed that it was a small, black velvet box. Immediately, the brown haired man knew that it was the exact same one Pete had given her, that had contained her engagement ring.

For what felt like the tenth time this night, he could have cursed himself for not thinking his plan through properly.

"Oh my, I mean of course you won't be along tonight… you have Pete… and you're about to – " he stumbled awkwardly, trying to get himself out of the mess he had created. "What I'm trying to say is that I guess you could very well bring him along…" _'Assuming that Jack won't throw the door shut right into his face,'_ he added mentally.

The next thing out of Sam's mouth almost caused him to fall off the table.

"Pete and I… we… well… I broke up with him."

Daniel stared at the woman he had learned to love like the sister he never had, utterly dumbfounded. _When the hell did that happen? I've only been ascended for a little bit and everything's turned upside down! Jack's dating Kerry – though he still hadn't figured that one out – and Sam broke up with Pete…_

But before he could voice his confusion, he noticed the lack of rings on Sam's hand and that the box she had been playing with all this time was indeed empty.

"So, yes," Sam continued in nothing more than a whisper, "I would be glad to have you guys around tonight. Though of course I understand that if it's going to be too much trouble for you I can still – "

"Sam," Daniel interrupted her rambling and placed a comforting arm around his blonde friend; taking a mental note to remind himself to ask her about what exactly happened with Pete another time. "Listen. You'll never be a burden. You hear me? Never."

* * *

 **Ida Galaxy || Orilla || Asgard home planet || Room of the High Council || 00:41**

The considerably young Asgard kept his eyes fixed straight upon the floor. He was capable of hearing the whispering voices all around him, but he couldn't quite make out what exactly the ware talking about. The only thing he could tell was that they had to be speaking about him. The idiot. The coward. The failure.

The cold feeling from the stone floor he was currently kneeling on contributed even more to the terrifying feeling of loneliness that was already raging inside of him.

Soon, their high and supreme leader moved and immediately the voices in the court room silenced. It was so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

With a gesture of his hand, Thor got up from his throne-like chair and with him four of the highest ranking council members – Freyr, Penegall, Archon and Assir. All of them wore the distinguishing golden necklace, which was only worn whenever there were grave decisions to make.

"What do you have to say to your self-defense?" Freyr asked neutrally.

His throat tightened nonetheless.

The – without a doubt – outstanding work he had been performing over the last couple of decades had gifted him with a new position: Being a guard in the Asgard's prisoner ward.

And despite the odds, he had managed to butch his first given task on his very first day of work.

"It – it was not my intention, High leaders."

A cackle was heard from the other two.

"Archon, Assir, this is not the most suitable behavior in a situation as severe as this one."

Both of them immediately straightened their backs, but their eyes still shot unkind looks towards him.

Again, the remaining Asgard in the crowded Council Room started to whisper.

"Silence," Thor demanded with an unusual force in his otherwise calm voice. His big eyes, however, also mirrored a sadness that the young guard had rarely seen in them.

With all his strength, he tried to hold the leader's glance, even though he knew how much he had disappointed the elder Asgard – who had given him the position in the first place.

"The crime has been committed. Loki has escaped the prison cell and you will receive your punishment for your incompetence."

The young guard nodded and looked down at his grey hands in shame. "I understand, Master Thor."

Thor nodded and waved his small hand; two other guards that had been standing in front of the great doors that led into the room came by, each grabbing the young Asgard's shoulder, dragging him to his feet and, without another word being said, out of the hall.

Once the doors were once again closed, Thor brought his attention back to the other members of the High Council.

"I am still not entirely convinced that informing the Tau'ri of the situation is a suitable idea," Assir stated and if he had an eyebrow he would have raised it in a very Teal'c way.

Thor exchanged a knowing look with Freyr, who has also taken quite the liking to the people form the milky way galaxy.

"Loki's most unfortunate escape cannot be kept a secret. Their people have signed the treaty and therefore belong to the nation of the protected planets; which includes informing them about possible threats."

Thor nodded, and held his hand up to stop Archon from speaking. "Loki's desired destination is yet to be assured completely. He has managed to in-active his positioning-tracker, which is indeed most unfortunate."

"But," Freyr added quickly, "the chances are most likely that he will be settling down on the Tau'ri home planet."

Assir and Archon exchanged looks of confusion. "How do your justify your assumption?"

Thor blinked; he always did that when he didn't want to answer a – in his opinion particularly irrelevant question. But a glance at Freyr told him to continue.

"Besides the fact that O'Neill has earned our complete honesty and should therefore be informed about Loki's situation – especially after the cloning incident – there has been a stone tablet with several theories been found in Loki's old laboratory."

Both critic's eyes widened. "You have not told us about that, Master Thor."

"He wanted to wait for the right moment," Freyr saved him.

"I will explain the necessary things, then," Thor continued and tossed the stone plate around for his two other high ranking members to see. "As you can see, the paper contains various symbols in a language yet unknown to us. Though Freyr and myself are certain that – considering Loki's earlier interest in his studies concerning the ancients' gene – these inscriptions are part of the - what we thought to be - long lost Orillia Prophecy."

Even though it was only said in a whisper, a lot more Asgard that had remained in the room had followed their conversation and therefore stared at the High Master with wide eyes. Thor ignored them and focused his attention of the most important members of the Council.

"What Prophecy do you speak of, Thor?" Assir asked suspiciously.

Once again, looks with Freyr got exchanged.

"The one that speaks of a possible salvation for the Asgard race and their cloning difficulties," he answered eventually. "Loki wants to continue his experiments where he had left them."

All he got were confused looks, so he clarified it a little more.

"In the wrong hands, the Prophecy and the power it contains can not only destroy the race of the Tau'ri, but also the entire galaxy."

* * *

 **To be continued :)  
**


End file.
